*** ----> Strong quake hits Albania; at least 4 dead, 150 injured | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Strong quake hits Albania; at least 4 dead, 150 injured

A strong earthquake shook Albania early Tuesday, killing at least four people, injuring 150 and collapsing buildings.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.4 quake was centered 30 kilometers northwest of the capital, Tirana. It had at a depth of 20 kilometers, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Defense Ministry said a man and a woman were killed when a building collapsed in Thumane, north of Tirana.

It said another person died after jumping from his home to escape shaking from the quake in Kurbin, north of the capital.

Another person was killed when a building collapsed in Durres, west of Tirana, emergency officials said. Rescuers were working to take out other people from the building.

The quake was felt along the Albanian coast.
Authorities reported scores of aftershocks and called on people in the most affected areas to stay out of their homes.

Local media reported that a restaurant was destroyed in western Durres.

At least three apartment buildings and the power distribution station were damaged in Thumane.

An earthquake in September in roughly the same area damaged hundreds of homes.